Method for recovering peripheral nerves functionality

ABSTRACT

The method for recovering the peripheral nerve function includes a manual massage along with the nerve. In so doing, the palpation of a peripheral nerve is performed to determine its nerve condition, followed by applying a pressure deep into the soft tissues with a finger at least once and then moving the finger along the peripheral nerve towards the periphery.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the medicine, and more precisely,concerns the method for recovering the peripheral nerve function.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known that the nervous system is the most integrated system of thehuman body, representing both structurally and functionally a singlewhole. In this connection, even its local injuries impact thefunctionality not only of neighboring structures but also of those oneslocated remotely. The nervous system lesion is accompanied by a varietyof disturbances of internal organ functions caused by disruption ofnormal regulating functions of the nervous system in the case of itspathology. All kinds of the nervous system diseases are accompanied inone degree or another by the vegetative disturbances. The autonomicnervous system pathology and its dysfunctions influence the origin andcourse of some somatic diseases. Vegetative disturbances lead todisorders of internal organs, endocrine system, blood vessels,thermoregulation and metabolism. Different vis-cero-functional,neuro-vegetative, nervous and subjective disorders due to their varietycan simulate many organic diseases so that a great variety of diagnosesand strangest diagnoses can be applied to them, especially if theclinical examination did not define the essential objective changes inthe human body. Even a mental and physical fatigue may produce allsubjective pathologic symptoms and thus simulate the whole clinicalpathology. All this can cause the real functional disorders which do notonly simulate a disease, but even produce it, reaching the originatingof visceral diseases (dysfunctional disorders at the beginning, and thenorgano-dystrophic ones); in psychiatric practice such cases include thespectrum from simple behavior disturbances to serious mentalpathological disorders and to the psychopathology. It happens becausethe fatigue impacts the nervous system, organs and tissues by toxic,dismetabolic and chemical reflections which can give rise to manyserious diseases, for example, to activate the latent tuberculosis, tocause an outbreak of the infection disease, or allergic manifestation,or even the cancer (see the book A. Peunesku-Podyanu. “Difficult cases.Indefinitely expressed and difficult explained sufferings”, MedicalPublishing House, Bucharest, 1976, pp. 215-216). The medicamentaltreatment of peripheral nervous lesions, and also the therapeuticphysical training in combination with the general massage are well knownat present Small Medical Encyclopedia. Moscow, Great RussianEncyclopedia Publishing House, 1991, vol. 3, pp. 551-552). However, suchtreatment does not always ensure the full recovery of functions oftraumatized peripheral nerves.

It is known that a neurologist has no possibility to see the pathologyfocus and, with rare exceptions, cannot palpate or auscultate it becausethe central nervous system is locked in the bone shells (skull andvertebral column), and peripheral nerves are mainly disposed in thedepth of soft tissues A. M. Pulatov et al. “Propedeutics of nervousdiseases”, published by “Irfon”, Dushanbe, 1970, p. 5).

It is well known from the general physiology of excitable membranes B.M. Khodorov, “The Handbook of Physiology”, vol. “General physiology ofexcitable membranes”, Leningrad, Nauka Publishing House, 1980), thatstretching the peripheral nerves increases the number of “rapid” sodiumion channels in the activated state, and decreasing of their stretchingleads correspondingly to decreasing the number of activated sodiumchannels. Increasing the number of “rapid” sodium channels in theactivated state leads, as it is well-known, to increasing the generationfrequency of operation transmembrane potentials and to raising the tonicbioelectrical activity of corresponding nerves. On the contrary,decreasing the number of activated “rapid” channels leadscorrespondingly to decreasing tonic bioelectrical activity of peripheralnerves.

The method for recovering the peripheral nerve function by means ofperforming the massage along a nerve is well known (SU, 1569013, Al,Int.Cl⁵. A 61 H 25/00, 1990). When treating by this method, thevibrating massage is acted along with the damaged nerve and reflexogeniczone corresponding to it with a vibrating massage apparatus in sequenceat predetermined increasing frequencies and during the predeterminedtime in each seance. This method allows only to improve the patientcondition but cannot completely restore functions of the peripheralnerves innervating different organs and systems of the human body,because the apparatus massage (including vibromassage, hydromassage,vacuum massage) does not ensure to differentiate the treatment finely.Thus this method does not allow to mobilize the trophic function ofperipheral nerves, to improve metabolism processes in ischemic nervoustrunks, does not decrease the hypertension of peripheral nerves. Thismethod does not also allow to normalize the metabolism of differentorgans and to treat diseases caused by lesions of correspondingperipheral nerves.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The basis of the present invention is the task of providing a method forrecovering the peripheral nerve functions in which method, throughmobilizing the trophic function of peripheral nerves, improving themetabolism processes of ischemic nerve trunks, and decreasing the hightension of peripheral nerves, the achievement is reached for morecomplete recovering functions of peripheral nerves innervating differentorgans and systems of the human body, which permits to normalize themetabolism of various organs and to treat the diseases caused by lesionsof corresponding peripheral nerves.

This task is solved by that in the method for recovering the peripheralnerve functions, in which method a massage is performed along with thenerve, in accordance with the present invention, the massage isperformed by hand therewith palpating at least one peripheral nerve todetermine its condition, and then at least once pressing deep into thesoft tissues with a finger, and moving the finger along the peripheralnerve to the periphery.

It is expedient the finger to be moved along the peripheral nerve byintermittent oscillatory motions.

It is also expedient an additional palpation to be made before movingthe finger along the peripheral nerve.

It is desirable, if a compacted intumescence is detected in theperipheral nerve in the course of its palpation, to knead and smoothsaid compacted intumescence after said palpation.

It is also desirable the peripheral nerve, after palpating it by afinger of one hand, to be fixed in the given section, the pressure deepinto soft tissues and movement along the peripheral nerve to theperiphery being performed with a finger of the other hand.

It is possible, after palpating the peripheral nerve, to strike easilyon the spine processes of the vertebrae and in paravertebral areas.

It is also possible, after palpating the peripheral nerve, to shift thesacrum-coccygeal junction until releasing the nerve compression in thisarea.

It is expedient, after palpating at least two peripheral nerves, toinspect the states of vitally important organs, then to press deep intosoft tissues by a finger and to move the finger first along theperipheral nerve recovering the innervation of a vitally importantorgan.

This method for recovering the peripheral nerve functions allows to makean early diagnosis of the pathology being formed, and to treat a diseaseat the stage of its beginning. This invention allows to improve theblood circulation and metabolism in organs of the human body and in thecourse of a complex treatment using medicaments, since their mosteffective influence is reached. This invention also allows, reducing theincreased tension of peripheral nerves, to achieve the more completerecovery of functions of peripheral nerves innervating different organsand systems of the human body, which allows, in tum, to normalize themetabolism of different organs and to treat the diseases caused bylesions of corresponding peripheral nerves.

Diseases have different etiology and pathogenesis, and very differentclinical picture, the development mechanism of most part of them isrelated to the disturbances of the peripheral nerve function and, inneglected cases, also to the disturbances in the peripheral nervestructure, including the dysfunctional of the vegetative nervous system.The treatment and prophylaxis of diseases connected with the recovery ofdisturbed peripheral nerve function by means of this method allows torehabilitate, with high efficiency, in a rapid mode, without employingan expensive and not readily available equipment, the patients andinvalids considered slightly responsive or unresponsive at all to theeffective treatment by usually methods to the present day, and, besidethe stable remission, in most cases allows to initiate the regress ofthe diseases. The invention also allows to recover disturbed peripheralnerve function by means of generalized unblocking the spinal column,achieving the maximum possible movability of the spine in all itssegments by removing primary and secondary functional blocks andrecovering maximum possible disturbances of body functions, and thus toachieve the curing effect in different nosologic forms, in particularly,to increase movability of joints, to decompress the spinal canal, toeliminate the pain syndrome in diseases of the locomotor and nervoussystem, in various neuritis, neuralgia, arthritis, ossalgia, arthralgia,to achieve the restoration of the normal function of the heart and bloodvessels in the vegeto-vascular distonia, to normalize the arterialpressure and the frequency of heart beats in the hypertensia andvaso-renal hypertensia, to eliminate the myocardium ischemia andischemia of other organs in the cases of spastic conditions of differentvessels (e.g. obliterating endarteritis, Raynaud's disease,Princmetall's stenocardia) and others. In contrast with the apparatusmassages (including vibromassage, hydromassage, vacuum massage andpneumo-massage) this invention ensures to differentiate precisely themethodology of the massage. As distinct from this method, the manualtherapy can also have negative effects without knowledge of nervousregulatory impacts. In comparison with the proposed method, theacupressure is less effective. The given method ensures a goodsuccession of medical, rehabilitative, and sanitary-prophylacticmeasures for a considerable part of population. The method takes shortertime for curing and provides maximum efficiency. It is safe in the viewof allergic complications and does not require expensive facilities. Asystematic approach is maintained in the treatment on the basis of thismethod. It can be applied to a patient of any age ranging from a newbornbaby to a person of an old age. This method is also of a certain valuein the rehabilitation of patients with the residual encephalopathy(child cerebral palsy). Using it for such patients helps to eliminatemuscular contractures, improving trophic processes in disturbedextremities and causing the development of considerable positive changesin recovering the lesion extremity movements, thus leading to theimprovement of muscular flexibility and elasticity.

The essence of the invention will be further illustrated below byspecific examples of its embodiments.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The method for recovering the peripheral nerve functions consists inperforming a manual massage along with a nerve. In so doing, a palpationof at least one peripheral nerve is conducted to determine itscondition. Then, at least once, a pressure is applied with a finger deepinto soft tissues till sensing the nerve, and the finger is moved alongthe peripheral nerve towards the periphery. In this case, the finger canbe moved by intermittent oscillatory motions. The condition of theperipheral nerve, in particular its tension, is determined by thepalpation. Before moving the finger along the peripheral nerve, itsadditional palpation can be conducted. If a compacted intumescence isdetected in the nerve during its palpation, the kneading and smoothingof the compacted intumescence is performed. Sometimes problems occurconnected with decreasing the nerve tension. In this case the nerve isfixed at the determined section with a finger of one hand after thepalpation, while a finger of the other hand presses deep into the softtissues and moves along the peripheral nerve to the periphery. In thecase of pinching a nerve excessively tensed by calcifications, afterpalpating and before decreasing the nerve tension, the nerve pinching isremoved by destructurizing said calcifications with easy strikes, forexample, with a palm edge on the spine processes of the vertebrae and inparavertebral areas. In the case of pinching the sacrum plexus nerve,after palpating and before performing procedures to decrease the tensionof said nerve, the sacrum-coccygeal junction is shifted till releasingthe nerve compression in this area. In the case of diagnosing theincreased tension of at least two peripheral nerves, the inspection ofstates of vitally important organs is carried out after palpation. Thenthe tension of peripheral nerve innervating vitally important organs isfirst decreased, and then the tension of the other peripheral nerve ornerves are decreased by means of pressing deep into the soft tissueswith a finger and moving the finger first along the peripheral nerverestoring the innervation of the vitally important organ.

The presented method for recovering the peripheral nerve functions iscarried out as follows.

The patient examined with classical methods is laid prone on the massagetable and the palpation is carried out enveloping his (or her) spinalcolumn with two fingers of one hand and gaining the pressure on fingersof the first hand with fingers of the other hand. After receivinginformation on the state of the spinal column and its calcification thecondition of peripheral nervous fibers is examined by the palpation todetermine their tension. The increased tension of the peripheral nerveor a number of such nerves after a trauma, stress, fatigue, borninfectious disease, supercooling etc. changes the nerve structural andfunctional organization and creates the pathology of the organinnervated by such nerve (nerves), thus leading to a number of diseaseswhich cannot be treated with known medicamental and non-medicamentalmethods. The palpation of the nerve tension is performed withfinger-cushions indirectly (through the muscles in the case of deeplocation) or directly (in the case of superficial location) placingfingers perpendicularly to the palpated surface in the area of the nervelocation. The palpation of a nerve is carried out with fingers in thesame way as in the case when other organs are palpated and completely inaccordance with well-known methods (see the book Small MedicalEncyclopedia. Moscow, Great Russian Encyclopedia Publishing House, 1991,vol. 4, pp. 226-227). Making oscilatory motions from side to side anddeepening fingers into the soft tissues, the nervous bar is detected andthe degree of its tension is determined on the basis of its condition.The criteria of nerve tension are: nervous characteristics (thickness,solidity, displaceability, intumescence); presence of the patientpainful sensation during palpation; irradiation of the pain to otherareas. The nerve tension decrease is carried out by applying atransverse force to it, i.e. by pressing a finger placed perpendicularlyto the nerve axis deep into tissues. In so doing, the intermittentmotions should be made along the nerve towards the peripheral. Theoscillatory motions are performed permanently with a finger withouttaking it off the nerve (to keep the nerve in the field of sensation),and at the same time the finger moves along with the nerve, applying atransversal pressure to the nerve, i.e. rendering the pressureperpendicularly to the nerve axis. Such manipulation is repeated tillthe nerve tension decrease. The determination of the nerve tension oreffectiveness of its decrease is performed by frequent oscillatorymotions of small amplitude from side to side and on the basis ofcharacteristics of a palpating nerve slipping under the fingers(thickness, solidity, displaceability and intumescences); and a judgmentabout the nerve tension can also be made on the basis of patient painsensations. A gradual nerve tension decrease manifests itself inincreasing the palpated bar displaceability and decreasing its soliditytill it becomes faintly palpable and till the absence of patient painsensations, which are criteria of the normal nerve tension. Theexceptions are peripheral myelopathies (and system demyelining diseases)when the disturbance of the myelin resynthesis by Schwann cells andtheir destruction take place, and then the dystrophia of axial cylindersand their fragmentation occurs; when this process reaches the certainstage, the nerve trunks defined earlier by palpating as being in thepathological tension condition, cease to be felt. An indirect (throughmuscular layers) or direct (with more superficial location) pressureonto the nervous trunk being a part of large vascular-nervous bundlesstimulates a better functioning of nerve vessels of those trunks. Thus,the improving of a microcirculation in the nerve itself excites anintensification of its own trophism, normalization of the myelinsynthesis, and optimization of the neurolemmocytes (Schwann cells)renewal, which entails a normalization of disturbances of the nervousconductivity in an area subjected to the pressure, improvement insupplying the tissues surrounding the nervous trunk and innervated byits branches through normalizing the functioning of vegetative fibers(the trophic function of the vegetative nervous system) being a part ofa given nerve, and facilitation of the nervous-muscular conductivity.All this allows to utilize this method in the complex treating ofvarious diseases of different organs and systems (nervous,cardiovascular, and other). A reflex mechanism is not excluded. Aremoval of the muscular block is also used in diseases of the spine,spinal cord and roots. This method permits to act with the maximumprecise direction onto nervous trunk on the basis of their topography inorder to give rise to the previously described useful result. Thepressure performed by finger-cushions is sufficiently soft and does nothurt. All organism components are in such interrelations between them,which may be characterized as the dynamic equilibrium. A maintenance ofthis equilibrium is the basis for keeping the relative constancy of theorganism homeostasis. The nervous system plays one of the main roles inthis maintenance, which system makes the human organism to bestructurally and functionally a single whole. An existing basic(physiologic) tension of peripheral nerves of one areas is balanced withsuch tension in other areas. A local increase of individual nerves inpathology entails negative changes not only in neighbor areas, but alsoin remote regions.

A danger for developing the acute cardiac insufficiency, and even apossibility of the lethal outcome in restoring operations on kidneyarteries of patients with a combination lesion of the kidney andcoronary arteries is an example of the non-observance of the dynamicequilibrium maintenance principle. Even a successfully performedoperation permitting to restore the kidney blood flow does not ensure atotal convalescence of the patient due to a remained unremoved reason ofthe ischemization of another vitally important organ, the heartYu.I.Buziashvili. <<Ischemic disease in combination with therenovascular hypertension”.—Moscow: publication of the Bakulev Instituteof Cardiovascular Surgery (ICVS), 1994, pp. 4-7).

Lesion of the nervous system provokes a disturbance in a functioning ofinternal organs, which is connected to a disintegration of nervousregulatory impacts. Using the proposed method, it is possible to reachan improvement in a functioning of some internal organs (mobilizing thetrophic function of the parasympathetic nervous system, improving themetabolism in the ischemic nervous trunks themselves, releasing muscularblocks, reflex action), but at the same time it is necessary to monitora condition of other organs because change of the tension of thesenerves (even returning it to its base state) can render a negativeinfluence in certain sections. Thus, improving an internal organfunctional activity with the proposed method, it is always necessary tomonitor a work of the heart, lungs and other vitally important organs(since the disturbance of at least one of their functions could causethe death of the organism), and, if necessary, efforts should be made tonormalize functions of these organs, i.e. to keep the system approach.The change of systole frequency in the case of sinus tachycardia byimpacting the dorsal branches of spinal nerves in five upper thoracicsegments of the spinal cord can serve as an example of using theintegrity of different parts of nervous system in order to reach adesirable clinical effect with the proposed method. The purposefulimpact on the dorsal branches of spinal nerves in accordance with thismethod produces afferent pulses transmitted along the sensitive fibersof posterior roots to the posterior horns of the spinal cord. Suchpulses obviously produce the inhibitory effect on the sympathetic nucleiof spinal lateral horns, which results in reducing the systolefrequency. The pulses generated in impacting the sensitive fibers of thespinal nerve posterior branches located within the bounds of five upperthoracic segments of the spinal cord pass along these sensitive fibersand, through posterior roots, find themselves in the posterior horns ofspinal gray substance and onto the intercalary neurons of sympatheticnuclei in the spinal cord lateral horns, and these pulses slow down thegeneration of signals stimulating the work of the heart in thesympathetic nuclei. Thus, the systole frequency reduction takes placebecause the sympathetic influence on the heart is limited, and theinfluence of a vagus nerve (the parasympathetic nervous system) becomesconspicuous. The higher is the sympathetic activity level, the stronglyis expressed the effect of the vagus nerve stimulation (a reciprocalinfluence).

Thus, in the case of diagnosing the increased tension of one or severalperipheral nerves in comparison with the normal tension of otherperipheral nerves, a general picture of the disease is determined andthen a decision on the sequence of decreasing the peripheral nervetension is taken. If, for example, beside other diseases, the patientsuffers from the hypertension and headache, then the decrease of thetension in this case should be started from the ischiatic nerve, becauseafter that the rush of blood to leg muscles starts at once, causing animmediate drop of the arterial pressure, and then the possibility toimpact other peripheral nerves takes place. As it was mentioned above,when impacting the peripheral nerves it should be taken intoconsideration, that the nervous system is interrelated, and the changeof the tension of some nerves can decrease or increase the tension ofothers. Due to this reason, the most strained nerves and their belongingto the vitally important organs should be determined first taking intoconsideration that the decrease of the tension of less stained nervescan lead to the increase of the tension of more strained nerves and viceversa—the decrease of the tension of more strained nerves can lead tothe decrease of the tension of less strained nerves. Therefore thetension of a peripheral nerve innervating a most vitally important organshould be decreased first and then the tension of another peripheralnerve or other ones can be decreased. To decrease the tension of aperipheral nerve a transverse pressure with a finger or fingers isapplied to it through the skin and subcutaneous tissues, and then,without taking away this pressure, the point of force application shouldbe moved along the nerve toward the periphery. The change of thetransverse pressure location is made by intermittent movements with analternated increase and decrease of the movement speed. Such applyingthe pressure and shifting its application point are used many timesduring one or several sessions of treatment depending on the patientstate. The length of the treatment is individual. Among procedures ofapplying a transverse pressure to the nerve and moving the applicationpoint along the nerve, the tension of the nerve mentioned above isperiodically determined in the same way as it was described above. Whendecreasing the nerve tension to value corresponding to the normaltension of other peripheral nerves, the procedures mentioned above arestopped. After that a stable improvement of the patient status comes. Ifan intumescence of a nerve is detected when diagnosing the increasednerve tension, a process of removing the intumescence is performedbefore the procedures for decreasing the tension. Well-known techniquesare employed for this purpose, e.g. kneading and smoothing the nerve inthe place of intumescence location (see Small MedicalEncyclopedia.—Moscow, Great Soviet Encyclopedia Publishing House, 1992vol.5, pp. 176-177). The appearance of the hardened intumescence in anerve is connected with the disturbance of the blood circulation in thisnerve and with the edema of perineural spaces due to the compression ofa nerve inside some anatomic canal (e.g., intervertebral foramina,intramuscular spaces, canals between bones and ligaments and so on). Thehardened intumescence of a nervous trunk near the place of thestrangulation is often difficult to be shifted and after cessation ofapplying forces the it comes back to the initial point. In order toavoid this the finger of one hand must fix the intumescence at theremotest distal point while decreasing the nerve tension with thefingers of the other hand before this point. It is well known that thecalcification emerges in the spinal ligaments in the process of thenormal vital activity of essentially healthy people. The spinal ligamentcalcification increases significantly as a result of dismetabolicchanges and inflammatory processes related to a great variety ofdiseases, and this often leads to the compression of spinal nerves inthe immediate vicinity to such ligaments. The destruction of mentionedligament calcification in order to release nerve compression isperformed by easy striking with a palm edge on the spine processes ofthe vertebra and in paravertebral areas. In this case, the fragmentationof the calcination occurs, and the blood circulation is improved(appearing outwardly as the skin hyperemia and increase of the localtemperature), that prevents a further calcification, helps to clear thebody from salt deposits, and release the nervous trunk compression. Therelease of muscular tension in neighboring vertebrae are also achievedby easy striking. When the patient organism is intoxicated withcomminuted salts which is accompanied with some temperature rise, thedescribed bed procedures should be stopped, and the process of talkingthe diuretics and rubbing the spine with the vodka should be started inthis case. The sacrum-coccugeal junction undergoes changes to a certainmoment,—i.e. becomes synostosis. This process is not the physiologicalone, and the synostosis emerges as a result of many slight traumas inthis region that patients often fail to mention in collecting theanamnesis, but which are revealed by a purpose-oriented questioning. Thecorrelation between the pain in the lumbus and the ossaglias on onehand, and the arthralgias in lower extremities of indefinite genesiswith the limitation of active and passive movements in leg joints andthe immobility of junctions, on the other hand, was revealed. Thesacrum-coccygeal junction synostosis is the reason of the compression ofnerves passing through this region and their pathological tension, andof nerves coming out of the spinal cord segments located higher. Basingon the clinical experience, it can be said that synostosis does notalways reach its final stage, and the moveability of the coccygeal bonein the sacrum-coccygeal junction can be restored. This is released usingfingers “per rectum”, the coccyx being shifted from behind warily. Thesignificant improving in the coccygeal moveability is achieved gradually(sometimes during several sessions) without rough manipulations. Thecriteria of a correctly made manipulation are: a decrease of painfulsensations in the coccygeal area (which emerge in the course ofprocedures) or their absence at all, a disappearance or decrease of thepain in the lumbus, joints and leg bones, an increase of the volume ofactive and passive movements in the lumbus and the joints of lowerextremities, subjective sense of the distention in the sacrum-coccygealarea. Thus, in the case when the plexus nerve is strangulated, thecoccyx should be set in a position similar to that during its rectalexamination P. L. Gell et al. <<Emergency orthopedia. Vertebralcolumn>>,—Moscow, Medicina Publishing House, 1995, p. 276). Thesacrum-coccygeal joint is shifted till the nerve compression in thisarea is eliminated.

This method was tested in clinical conditions. It was used to treatvarious diseases related to the disturbance of functions and also, inthe neglected cases, to the dysfunction of the peripheral nervestructure including the dysfunction of the vegetative nervous system.The clinical tests of this method were conducted at the Institute ofRheumatology of the RF Academy of Medical Sciences (RAMS), (Moscow), andat the RAMS Medical Radiological Research Center (Obninsk). The examplesillustrating this method for recovering the peripheral nerve functionare given below.

EXAMPLE 1

The patient D., 55 years old, a school teacher. The diagnosis;Bekhterev's disease—ankylosing spondylarthritis with the lesion ofperipheral joints, bilateral sacroiliitis. After the influenza thepatient began feel the pain in the lumbus, and pelvic-femoral, brachial,knee and cervical joints. The muscular tonus was increased. The patientcould not bend and squat, raise her left arm and straighten it in theelbow joint. The head could be turned only together with the body. Theexcursions movements were restrained. The deep breath was difficult andpainful for the patient, causing the pains in the back and the heartarea. The knee joints were swelled, the knees could not bend. Thelateral surface of the hips was painful. The pains became stronger bynight. It was difficult for the patient to get up in the morning. Thepatient was examined at the Institute of Rheumatology where thefollowing diagnosis was made: ankylosing spondylarthritis with thelesion of peripheral joints, bilateral sacroiliitis (medical card No13841). The following treatment was prescribed: methindol, vitamin A,physiotherapy exercises, the massage of the back. After taking methindolthe pain quieted down in the period of the drug action, but later it wasrecommenced sharply and the patient could not move. The allergic spotsof a scarlet color that appeared on the elbows began to scale off.Methindol had caused the stomach irritation. Because of sharp pains themassage and physiotherapy exercises were impossible. The disease wasprogressing. The patient had appealed for help and agreed to be treatedwith the filed method. The palpation of the patient showed: thevertebral ligament calcification of soft consistency, the increasedtension of spinal roots, nervous trunks and their branches pinched byspinal ligament calcification and ankylosis of apophysial joints, theincreased tension of nervous trunks along the whole spinal column: n.n.cervicales (C_(I)-C_(VII)), n.n. thotacici (Th_(I)-TH_(XII)), n.n.lumbales (L_(I)-L_(V)), sacrales (S_(I)-S_(V)), n.n. coccygeus(Co_(I)-Co_(II)). The highest tension was observed in the plexuscervicalis resulted in the complete loss of the vertebra moveability inthe cervical part; in the n. thoracalis longus that did not allow toraise an arm higher than its horizontal level; in the n.n. intercostalesthat led to the disturbance of thoracic respiratory excursions; in then. femoralis that disturbed functions of the m. iliopsoas, bending thefemur in the coxofemoral joint and, in the case of femoral fixation,bending the vertebral column in its lumbar section; in the n. gluteussuperior, that made impossible the femoral abduction and caused a waddlegait of the patient. 20 courses of treatment by this method were givento the patient. The decrease of the tension of peripheral nerves wasconducted by applying a transverse pressure to them with fingers andsing the place of pressure application along with the nerve, and by easystriking with the palm edge on the vertebral spinal processes andfurther moving apart the vertebrae by fingers to soften thecalcification, to stop the calcification of spinal ligaments and toimprove their blood circulation. Then the rubbing of the vertebralcolumn with the vodka was carried out, and a diuretic remedy wasprescribed in the form of a hips and cow-berry leaves decoction toremove calcium compounds from the body. In the first period of thetreatment, the patient intoxication by comminuted calcifications,accompanied by the temperature rise up to 37.8° C. were observed duringtwo days. For the period of the temperature rise the manual treatmentwas stopped but curing with the diuretic continued. On the completion offirst three sessions the prescription of analgetic (methindol) wascancelled as superfluous. After that pains did not resume. As thetreatment with the suggested method continued, the moveability of thevertebral column and the amplitude of extremity movements had increaseddrastically. To partly release the strangulation of sacrum and coccygealnervous plexuses, the setting of patient coccyx had been made and thenerves had been straightened through the sacrum fissure. In thisconnection, the nature of the tension of lumbar spinal nerve posteriorbranches had changed radically. The decrease of their tension wasconducted with the described method by easy striking on spinal processesand shifting apart the vertebrae in the lumbar area. After the tenthtreatment session the condition of the patient had stabilized. After thetenth treatment session the tension of peripheral nerves had decreasedto the norm, the rotation of the spinal column had been normalized, thetonus of muscles in the back had been recovered. The patient got theability to squat easily, to bend touching the floor with her palms, toraise arms; the rotation of the vertebrae in its cervical part had beenrecovered, the allergic spots and heart pains had disappeared, therespiratory excursions became normal. Upon completing the treatment thepains did not resumed. During repeat examination of the patient D. theconference of specialist doctors at the RAMS Institute of Rheumatologyascertained a full recovery of her spinal column functions and anabsence of peripheral arthritis. Now the patient D. leads an activelife, goes in for jogging for health.

EXAMPLE 2

The patient B, 50 years old. Five years before appealing for help hestarted to feel unpleasant sensations like pricking, <<creeps)>> anddumbness in the I-III fingers of his right hand. He did not associatehis disease with any specific reason. In the course of time pains in thearm began to appear, a bending of the hand and I, II and III fingersbecame difficult, the patient lost the ability to write. He took a longcourse of the treatment—the manual therapy, electrophoresis, radonbaths, current to Bernard, massage, which did not give any result. Laterthe Tinnel's syndrome appeared: in easy striking on the wrist canal thepains appeared in the paresthesia of the I-III fingers. Pains becamecausalgic. The patient appealed for help and agreed to be treated withthe filed method. The palpation of the patient showed: the increasedtension of n.n. cervicales (C_(VI)-Th_(I)), the increased tension of then. medianus from the brachial plexus to the branches of this nerve, andalso the increased tension of the n.n. digitales palmares communes. Whenpressing onto the n. medianus passing under the M. flexor digitorumsuperficialis the tension of the n.n. digitales palmares communes anddipitales palmares proprii increases. The diagnosis had been made: theneuritis of median nerve. In line with the filed method, the treatmentwas started with the procedures aimed at decreasing the tension of then. medianus to recover its finctions. In such impacting on the n.medianus passed under the M. flexor digitorum superficialis, an increasof the tension of the n.n. digitales palmares communes and n.n.digitales palmares proprii started, which caused the dumbness of thepalm. In impacting on the n. medianus, its fixation was performed bypressing the point under the M. biceps brachii with a finger of one handwith decreasing the tension with a finger of the other hand along withthe nerve to the place of its fixation. As a result the gradual decreaseof the n. medianus tension occurred, which gave a possibility tostraighten it under the M. Flexor digitorum superficialis withoutfurther increasing the tension of the n.n. digitales palmares communesand digitales palmares proprii and with the subsequent decreasing theirtension according to the proposed method. In addition, an easy strikingof spinal processes of the vertebrae C_(VI)-Th_(I) was conductedfollowed by shifting them apart, kneading and smoothing theintumescences of the nn. cervicales with the subsequent multiplesmoothing the n. medianus towards the periphery until a significantdecrease of the tension for this nerve is achieved. After the firsttreatment session the patient could bend his fingers and hand, and theability to write had restored. To consolidate the achieved effect, tentreatment sessions was given to the patient. When the normal tension ofthe n. medianus had been recovered the symptoms of disturbances haddisappeared, the hand and finger functions had been completely restored.

EXAMPLE 3

The patient Sh., 55 years old, a teacher of music. After a long periodof physical and psychological stress connected with her job where Sh.held three posts during one year, the patient came to her countrycottage where she felt bad. She felt worse every hour. She complained ofthe headache, heaviness in the head, dizziness, diffuse pains, dumbnessof extremities, nausea turning into vomiting, pains in the heart, coldfit, heart beat, difficult breathing with the impression of suffocation,tremor and faint. The patient could not get up, answered the questionswith difficulties. Her body temperature was 38,5° C., arterial pressure140/80 mm Hg, pulse rate 90 beats per minute. The ambulance was calledin. The diagnosis had been made: nervous fatigue. The spasmolytic anddiuretic drugs were prescribed. At the second day there was noimprovement in the course of disease. The patient's relatives appealedfor help. The results of medical examinations showed: all the symptomsmentioned above were still present and, besides, the swelling of faceappeared. In palpating the patient the increased tension of r.r.dorsales n.n. spinales, r.r. ventrales n.n. spinales was detected. Inaccordance with the filed method, the patient was treated withdecreasing the tension of peripheral nerves mentioned above and theirbranches, kneading these nerves in the places of their intumescencesnear the vertebral column and drawing them off towards the periphery.The patient nerves yielded to manipulations easily without significantefforts. 20 minutes after the procedure beginning the patient said thatshe felt quite well. 40 minutes after the procedure begining thepatient's physical and psychological conditions had completelynormalised. After lunch she started with enthusiasm to work in hercountry cottage and after their finishing went home the same day.

EXAMPLE 4

The patient Z. The diagnosis: the stable syndrome of ulnar nervepinching; in the area of the right elbow joint. The diagnosis had beenmade by specialists of the Medical Radiological Research Center. Thetreatment was performed in accordance with the filed method forrecovering the peripheral nerve functions. Five sessions of treatmentwere conducted. After that all functions of the ulnar nerve had beencompletely restored.

EXAMPLE 5

The patient B., 20 years old, was treated at the 3-d RheumatologicalDepartment of the RAMS Institute of Rheumatology. The clinical diagnosiswas: reactive arthritis (urogenous); two-sided sacroiliitis in thesecond stage with extra-articular manifestations. The syndrome of thejoint hypermobility. The distributed secondary osteochondrosis. Theconducted roentgenography of thoracic and lumbar parts of the vertebralcolumn showed: the increased vertebral transparency; the increasedconcavities of supporting surfaces of lower thoracic vertebrae; slightlysharpened back angles of some vertebrae. The left-side scoliosis in thelumbar area; slightly narrowed intervertebral spaces; porosis ofvertebrae. The pelvic roentgenography showed: the signs of double-sidedsacroiliitis in the second stage. The structure of the heads of femurswithout peculiarities. The increased radiotransparency in the area ofthe cotyloid cavity roofs. The narrowed fissures of some digital jointson the films of hands and distal parts of feet. Individual cyst-likeenlightenments of the bone tissue. The periarticular osteoporosis ofmoderate degree.

At the moment of admission to the institute the following data on thepatient health were registered. The patient condition is satisfactory;the constitution is regular; the nutrition is adequate; the behavior isactive; the consciousness is lucid. The common integuments are clean andof usual color; the cyanosis in the area of knee joints; the hands arepale and cold to the touch; hyperhidroisis. The visible mucous membranesare pink, wet, and clean. The axillary lymphonodi are slightly enlarged.The muscles are sufficiently developed, their palpation is painless. Thevertebral palpation is painless; movements in the cervical and lumbararea area limited; a small painless intumescence of the periarticulartissues in the area of the right knee joint without restricting itsmoveability. The clinical signs of the double-sided sacroiliitis werefound two weeks before the patient admission to the clinic. Thetreatment was conducted by the filed method for recovering theperipheral nerve finction. Seven procedures were performed. After thatthe patient condition was examined. The results of examination were thefollowing.

The results of measurements of the vertebral moveability:

1. The moveability in the cervical section of the vertebral column

a) head turnings Right Left - at admission to the clinic 82° 79° -before discharge from the clinic 87° 85°

II. The moveability in the thoracic and lumbar sections of the vertebralcolumn

a) trunk turnings with the pelvis fixed Right Left - at admission to theclinic  58°  54° - before discharge from the clinic  63°  64° b) trunkbendings (the angle of the trunk bend Right Left with respect to thevertical axis) - at admission to the clinic 150° 147° - before dischargefrom the clinic 142° 138° c) lung excursion (mm) Right Left - atadmission to the clinic 42 mm 42 mm - before discharge from the clinic48 mm 48 mm d) Shober's symptom - at admission to the clinic novertebrae moveability - before discharge from the clinic vertebrae aremovable

As a result of the treatment a positive dynamics is registered: thepains in the sacrum area and other sections of the vertebral column haddisappeared, the weakness and fatigue had significantly decreased, thevertebral moveability had inreased. The patient was discharged from theinstitute to continue the treatment at the out-patient department.

EXAMPLE 6

The patient B, 20 years old, came to see a doctor for the first timebecause of heart pains, intermissions of the heart rhythm accompaniedwith the dyspnea. The latest annual ECG examination revealed: sinusrhythm of 75 beats per minute, a vertical position from the heart,moderate myocardial changes. During examination and on the roentgenogramthe heart borders were not increased, the heart sounds were muffled, thesystolic murmur was heard. It was found out from the case record thatafter having angina two years ago the patient had suffered fromdizziness and, during physical exercises, from rapid heart beat followedby heart pains and heavy feeling behind the sternum. The patient wastreated at the out patient department but nevertheless had the samecomplaints. Besides, new complaints about weakness and fatigue were alsoexpressed. The patient was admitted to the RAMS Institute ofRheumatology for the examination and treatment. The examinationconducted at the time of admission revealed: the heart rhythm isregular; the heart sounds are muffled; brief systolic murmurs. The ECGexamination revealed diffused changes of the right part of themyocardium in contrast to the ECG examination conducted earlier withoutdynamics. The phonocardiographic examination (PCG) revealed: thedecreased amplitude of the first heart sound; the insignificantspindle-shaped systolic murmur on the 5L and 4L. After physicalexercises the systolic murmur retained its characteristics but becamestronger; the prominence of the second sound on the pulmonary artery.

The echocardiographic examination revealed: internal sizes of the leftventricle and atium do not enlarged; mitral cusps are thin with regularmovements; the aorta and its cusps are without any peculiarities;tricuspid cusps are thin and moveable; the right cameras of the heart donot increased. The Doppler echocardigraphic examination revealed thatintracardiac blood flows have no changes. The X-ray examination of thechest revealed: the lung fields are transparent; the lung contour in thelung root adjacent zones has a slightly increased contrast, the lungroots are structural; the presence of commissures in the diaphragmaticpleura limiting the lung excursion; the heart sizes do not enlarged; theheart waist is clearly delineated; the heart position is vertical; theheart contours are clear-cut. The patient's diagnosis was: thenon-rheumatic myocarditis. The rheumatic signs were not found. Thedisease was accompanied with the reactive Erogenous ar thritis

During the patient stay in the hospital for treatment of arthritis shetook voltaren, plaquenil 0.2 per day, then pananguin, riboxin, ascorbicacid. Since the patient examination revealed the tension and pinching ofperipheral nerves the treatment by the method for recovering theperipheral nerve functions was started along with the symptomatictreatment specified above. The institute specialist conducted sevenprocedures in the course of the patient treatment, with the result thather condition improved considerably and she was discharged from theinstitute in a satisfactory status of health. The pains in the heartarea had disappeared, the weakness, fatigue, dyspnea in the process of aphysical work had become much less, the lung excursion increased, thesonority of heart sounds could be heard during the auscultation, murmurshad disappeared, the cryoglobulinemia and the antinuclear factor of theblood had also disappeared.

The treatment with this method was continued after the cancellation ofthe all other procedures, and ten procedures were conductedadditionally. The patient appealed to the Surgical Research Center ofRAMS for consultations to confirm the diagnosis of the myocarditis andto obtain the recommendations on her further treatment. The examinationconducted in the course of these consultations revealed no signs of themyocarditis. The ECG examination showed: the heart rhythm is sinus, theheart axis position is vertical; the ECG picture has no peculiarities.The phonocardiographic examination showed: the amplitude of heart soundsis normal; pathologic sounds are absent; murmurs do not registered. Theconclusion of the Surgical Research Center was: there are no data onpathological changes in the heart.

EXAMPLE 7

The patient B, 51 years old. After a craniocerebral injury the patientwas treated at the neurosurgical department of the City ClinicalHospital No. 7 in connection with a light bruise of the brain. Thevasodilative hypotensive, nootropic, symptomatic therapy was conducted,as a result of which the neurologic symptoms decreased significantly.

However, the examination performed by the neuropathologist of the BotkinClinical Hospital revealed: some decrease of the pupillary reaction tothe light, manifestations of the osteochondrosis in the cervical part ofthe vertebral column, of the deforming spondylosis and, as a result, thetortuosity of the vertebral artery and the distinct decrease of theblood flow in it confirmed by the results of the dopplerographicexamination of brachial and cephalic arteries.

The linear velocity of the blood flow in common carotid arteries was 78cm/s from the left, 74 cm/s from the right. A linear velocity of theblood flow in the internal carotid arteries was 60 cm/s from the left,up to 45 cm/s from the right. An S-shaped tortuosity of the rightcarotid artery.

The path of both vertebral arteries passing between the transverseprocesses of cervical vertebrae was shifted. There was an S-shapedtortuosity of the extravertebral section of both vertebral arteries. Alinear velocity of the blood flow in the vertebral arteries was 57 cm/sfrom the left, 34 cm/s from the right.

During all the period of treatment as to the craniocerebral injury,despite the conducted therapy, the patient permanently had the stableincreased arterial pressure. The arterial pressure of 170/30 mm Hg wasregistered in the course of the examination conducted by theneuropathologist of the Botdkin Hospital.

As it was assumed that a stable increased arterial pressure had acompensatory-reflex basis due to distinct cerebral hypoxia, thetreatment using the proposed method was undertaken.

Ten sessions of the treatment aimed at the peripheral nerve functionrecovery were conducted not only in the spinal cord cervical part butalso in the lumbosacrum area.

The result of the treatment was the considerable improvement in thepatient general condition, manifested particularly in the bettervertebral moveability and rotation, in the essential decrease of thearterial pressure, and in the improvement of the cerebral arterial bloodflow.

The repeated examination revealed: the arterial pressure is 130/95, alinear velocity of the blood flow in common carotid arteries is 92 cm/sfrom the left, 94 cm/s from the right.

The filed method ensures the full recovery or essential improvement ofconditions for the patients suffering from diseases connected withperipheral nerve function disturbances, including the cases of somediseases considered to be incurable.

Thus, the results of clinical trials of this invention allow to concludethat this method for recovering the peripheral nerve fimction, based onthe mobilization of the trophic function of peripheral nerves, on theimprovement of the metabolism in the ischemic nervous trunks, on therelaxation of the increased tension of peripheral nerves, ensures betterrecovery of functions of peripheral nerves innervating different organsand systems of the human body, which in turn makes it possible tonormalize the metabolism in different organs and systems of the humanbody and to cure diseases caused by lesions of corresponding peripheralnerves.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

This invention can be used in the cosmetology and sport, in variousbranches of medicine, for example, in orthopedics, gynecology,traumatology, neurology, neurosurgery, therapeutics and surgery fortreatment and prophylaxis of different diseases of locomotor system,muscular and nervous systems, cardiovascular system, endocrine andexcretory systems, visual, acoustic and sexual function disturbances,psychiatric diseases etc. connected with the disturbances of theperipheral nerve function. This wide range of diseases includes thefollowing ones: arthritis and arthrosis of different etiology,particularly, rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis combined withspondyloarthritis (seronegative spondyloarthritis), arthritis connectedwith the infection, intervertebral osteochondrosis and other diseases ofjoints, radiculitis, plexitis, neuritis and neuralgia, ossalgia,arthralgia etc; vegetovascular dystonia, atherosclerosis, hypertension,heart ischemia, Princemetal's stenocardia, Raynaud's disease,obliterating endarteritis etc. This list also includes the diseasesconsidered before as incurable: ankylotic spondylarthritis (Bekhterev'sdisease), children cerebral paralysis, systemic lupus erythematosus andother diseases connected with increased tension of peripheral nerves.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of recovering function of a peripheralnerve having a periphery, the method comprising: diagnosing an increasedtension of the nerve by palpating the nerve; and reducing the tension ofthe nerve by massaging the nerve, applying a transverse pressure to thenerve, and moving a location of application of the transverse pressurealong the nerve, toward the periphery of the nerve.
 2. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the step of moving the location isperformed by intermittent motions with alternate increase and decreaseof the speed of said moving.
 3. A method according to claim 2, whereinthe steps of applying the transverse pressure to said nerve and movingsaid transverse pressure application location along said nerve towardits periphery are performed repeatedly.
 4. A method according to claim3, wherein the tension of said nerve is diagnosed periodically betweensaid steps of applying the transverse pressure to said nerve and movingsaid transverse pressure application location along said nerve.
 5. Amethod according to claim 4, including detecting a hardened intumescenceof the nerve, eliminating said intumescence by kneading and smoothingsaid nerve in the location of the intumescence before the steps ofapplying the transverse pressure and moving the transverse pressureapplication.
 6. A method according to claim 1, including massaging thenerve manually.
 7. A method according to claim 1, including drawing offthe nerve by clasping it with fingers of one hand of a person performingthe method and applying the transverse pressure to the nerve with afinger of the other hand of the person performing the method toward afixation location along the nerve.
 8. A method according to claim 1,wherein the nerve has a strangulation, the method including eliminatingsaid strangulation before performing the steps of applying thetransverse pressure and moving the transverse pressure location, bystriking of the nerve with an edge of a palm of the person performingthe method.
 9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the nerve has astrangulation of its sacrum plexus, including setting a coccyx of theperson having the nerve on which the method is being performed first,before performing the steps of applying the transverse pressure andmoving the transverse pressure location.
 10. A method according to claim1, including reducing the tension least two peripheral nerves includingthe first mentioned peripheral nerve and at least one additionalperipheral nerve, each having a periphery, one of the nerves being aninnervation of a vitally important organ, the method comprising reducingthe tension of the nerve of the vitally important organ first beforeperforming the method to reduce the tension of the other nerve.